PEOPLE battling to save a post office on Nuneaton's largest housing estate have been warned: "Use it, or lose it."

The blunt message emerged from an emergency meeting called in Camp Hill on Monday by campaigners anxious to preserve a facility dubbed a "lifeline" in the community.

The resignation of the current postmaster has thrown the future of the Cedar Road post office into doubt.

Pride in Camp Hill, a team working to regenerate the community, has teamed up with councillors and residents to save the vital service.

In order to attract a buyer, those working behind the scenes need to prove the business has the potential to make a profit.

Postwatch, the customer watchdog for postal services, will be representing the interests of people living in Camp Hill.

Peter Wakefield, of Midlands Postwatch, said the best thing residents could do would be to continue to support the local store until it is clear that any attempts to keep the post office in Camp Hill have failed.

He said: "The most important thing now is to find a local retailer or subpostmaster willing to take on the lease. It is crucial people use the local shops and not take their money or business elsewhere, so we can demonstrate that there is a real need for a post office in the area. In our experience, if customers take their business to banks or transfer their alliance to other post offices, then this damages the possibility of any new post office in Camp Hill succeeding."

The village centre development is due to start in January, subject to planning and contracts being approved. Fifty per cent of the retail units are due for completion by December 2006.

Camp Hill resident Ann Corbett, a member of the Pride in Camp Hill Residents' Forum and Pride in Camp Hill Board, said: "Residents really do have to use it or lose it. A lot of older people will struggle to walk to the nearest alternative so it is really important to keep a post office on Cedar Road."

Pride in Camp Hill project director Colin Ball said: "Our job now is to convince the Post Office of the need for the service in Camp Hill and to persuade them that there are people out there willing to take on the business.

"Should that person be found, then we have every confidence that the Post Office will work with us to keep a service going locally."